Part 6; koko

Olivia went back over to her desk. She started looking through a pile of mail and listened to the two messages on her machine from Mike. He sounded pretty calm and collected, “Tim, I got your message, I called Olivia myself, but she isn’t picking up. If she is not in by twelve, give me a call and I can drive down to her apartment and see what’s up. Let me know. K, Bye.”
The second message, he sounded a little more worried, not about Olivia, but Tim, “Tim I know you are worried about Olivia, but I need you to calm down, don’t call any hospitals yet. I forgot that I used Olivia’s phone this morning to find mine and I don’t think I put it back in her purse,” Olivia muttered under her breath, “Uh you think.”, “so if she didn’t see it and put it in her purse and the bus is late or anything, she won’t have her phone to call you. Oh plus, Olivia I used your phone this morning and didn’t put it back in your purse, hope that doesn’t throw off your morning to much,” Olivia laughed, “K, well don’t call me back until twelve, unless you hear something. K, bye.”
Olivia was opening a package from a local author who had been trying to get Olivia to shelf her book for two months now. This would be the third copy Olivia had been sent. There was a letter attached explaining this was a new edition of the book, with some changes Olivia might like. She opened the book, flipped through the first couple chapters and put it down. Her first impulse was to throw it in the trash, instead she threw it in Tim’s stack. Olivia liked to personally read all the books they put on the shelf, ensuring she could put her mark of approval for the books they endorse and when she first opened up she did. Now a days, Tim and her spilt the pile, but Tim always got the ify ones. He had a more critical eye and was willing to throw out a book not worth it’s grit. As she looked up to throw the book, out of the corner of her eye she saw some movement to the right of her. She turned her head toward the back wall of the office and saw nothing. She went down back to her mail. She saw another of flicker of movement right ahead of her she looked up and there sitting on a lazyboy chair across from the desk was a Siamese cat, sitting up straight and looking directly at her. Olivia jumped in her seat. She clutched her chest and took a deep breath. “How did you get in here?”
The cat blinked its eyes. Olivia looked back, stared back more like it. The cat looked like he was ready to say something, but started licking it’s paw instead. Olivia shook her head. She got up and walked around her desk, she was a little unnerved to walk pass the cat and did so gingerly, keeping an eye on the cat. Olivia peeked her head out of the office and asked, “Rad do you know anything about this cat?”
Rad stopped half way down the latter and only said, “Cat?”
Olivia nodded her head, “Yeah a Siamese cat here in the office.” she turned and the cat was still sitting on the lazy boy no longer licking herself, but watching Olivia.
Rad started down the latter again trying to sweep his hair from his eyes so could see the steps. “No, Miss Liv I know nothing about a cat.”
“K,” she started to walk away but stopped short, “Oh Rad, I just got a letter from a publisher wanting me to shelf a book by a Norm Cartwright, have you ever heard of her. She writes mystery novels and I know that is your thing.”
Rad was down off the latter. Olivia knew he looked like a punk kid, which unsettled a lot of shoppers, but he was a loaded source of books, she was just glad he finally bought a belt and not so much of his skull boxers where showing. “I have heard the name, she is more for the hard core mystery novel reader, even I haven’t delved into her quite yet.”
Olivia looked through the office door again, the cat was still looking at her. “K thanks Rad. Maybe we will give her a shot.”
“Miss Liv, you alright?”
A little dazed she said, “Yeah. It is just this cat, randomly showing up, seems odd. I don’t like it.”
Rad clomped over with his heavy shoes dragging on the floor and looked into the office, “Weird. You must have an animal guardian.”
Olivia raised an eye brow at Rad and asked in a suspicious tone, “An animal guardian?”
Rad nodded his head, “Yeah, they are normal animals that come out of nowhere, attach themselves to one person and help guide them to some important life lesson then disappear.”
Olivia looked down at Rad with her brows scrunched and her month held at an angle, “I doubt it Rad.”
He sighed, “That’s just the thing Miss.Liv, animals guardians usually come to the people most disbelieving of their existence, like you.”
The cat started pawing the chair checking it for comfort and softness, then started to walk in circles on the chair, choosing carefully the best spot to plop her body. Once she did, the cat laid down, shifted a little, then folded her paws under her and blinked her eyes.
Olivia only said, “I am going to ask Tim.”
She found Tim in the front of the store behind the clerks desk opening boxes. When he saw Olivia he said, “Well no wonder Jerry Spinelli’s publishers billed so much more, so far there are fifty more books in this order then what ordered.”
Olivia walked behind the desk up to Tim, “Look uh, Tim do you know anything about the Siamese cat in the office.”
Tim kept opening boxes and counting books, “Cat? No, I am allergic to cats, why is there a cat in the office?”
“I don’t know I thought you might know since you were here earlier.”
“Well I surely didn’t bring a cat here.”
Sam stamping a new pile of books asked, “There is a cat in the office?”
Olivia, whose back was facing Sam, turned and said, “Yes there is a Siamese cat in our office.”
Sam’s voice took on the tone of a grandmother, baby talking to you grandchild. “Well I want to see the little kitty witty.” She tiptoed from behind the desk and toward the back.
Olivia turned back to Tim and threw her hands in the air. “Well what are we going to do with a randomly cat in our store.”
Tim was marking ticks on a sticky note, “Seventy-eight too many books, no wonder they charged so much and I know we made an agreement.”
Olivia put her hands down, “Then just call them Tim.”
He came out from around the front desk walking quick paced like he did when he became determined about something, “I will.”
But before he could walk too much farther toward the office, Sam came bouncing up, bundling the cat in her arms like she would a baby. “Look at such a pretty kitty.”
Before anyone could say a word, Tim sneezed into his arm twice. “That thing has got to go.”
Sam nuzzled the cats cheek against hers, “Oh what are you going to do just throw it out?”
Tim sneezed and responded, “Yes.”
Sam glared at him and nuzzled the cat closer, who started struggling in her arms. “Don’t worry kitty I won’t let the big ugly Tim get you.”
Tim sneezed again and walked off saying, “Keep that thing away from me.”
Sam turned to Olivia after Tim left. “Olivia we can’t just leave the poor cat out on the street, plus what if he it is one of our customers, they wouldn’t be very happy if we just abandoned it?”
“Sam people don’t bring their cats to shop with them.”
She stroked the cats head, who had repositioned himself tummy down across Sam’s arm and paws tucked under her belly. Sam cooed, “Yeah put with a cat this pretty who wouldn’t bring it everywhere with them.”
Olivia sighed. “Well, just kept it out of Tim’s sight and sniffers. We will keep it around for one day, otherwise it’s going to a shelter or home with someone, just out of here.”
Sam practically waltz the cat back to the brake room cooing the whole time, “Such a pretty kitty witty.”
Olivia shook her head and thought golly it is just a cat. She turned on her heels and standing at the desk was a plumb lady ready to check out. Olivia turned again and went behind the desk. “Hello there miss. Did you find everything you need alright?”
The lady was wearing a button up blouse with a lace trailed around the neck line, a skirt to her ankles, that bounced when she walked and around glasses on the end of her pung nose. She put a fat hand to her lips and giggled. “Yes I found everything splendidly well.”
Olivia started ringing up her books and looked at what she was getting, the entire set of Piggle Wiggle. Olivia said, “You must like miss Piggle- wiggle. You getting these for a grandchild?”
The customer giggled again. “No these are for me.”
“Oh I see. Well your total is thirty-five, fifty.”
The lady handed her a credit card, the signature was missing, so Olivia asked to see I.D. The lady giggled and got out her I.D.
Olivia stared and said, “This says you are Miss. Piggle-Wiggle.”
Miss. Piggle-Wiggle laughed. “Well of course that’s what it says. Wouldn’t say I was anything else other then who I am? Would it?”